Relevant Tones
385 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsA podcast about the most fascinating time in classical music history: right now.
Relevant Tones features interviews with and music by some of the most creative figures in contemporary classical music, themed shows exploring new trends in classical music and frequent live streamed shows featuring conversations and music performances.
Hosted and produced by Seth Boustead, Austin Williams, Stephen Anthony Rawson and Matt Dotson.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Imagined Roots
June 26, 2023 22:27 - 59 minutes - 68 MBRaíces Imaginadas (Imagined Roots) presents four works written by Tomás Koljatic, Igor Marques, Felipe Pinto d’Aguiar, and Vicente Atria, performed by the Nuevo Mundo Baroque Orchestra (Chile). The idea was to frame writing for historical instruments in contemporary perspectives; its title alludes to this notion and suggests a music that is speculative, nonexistent, or historically and hypothetically possible, bound to the past by its instrumentation and timbre. Host Seth Boustead talks wit...
Happy Juneteenth!
June 19, 2023 20:21 - 1 hour - 71.4 MBHappy Juneteenth! Relevant Tones would like to extend a warm celebration for this day. We are featuring a plethora of new music that has been composed by a variety of Black American composers. As always, we are excited to share the depth and variety that these different artists and composers bring to their audiences. We hope this setlist is a nice accompaniment to your holiday, please enjoy!
Tina Davidson
June 12, 2023 21:01 - 59 minutes - 68.4 MBTina Davidson creates music that stands out for its emotional depth and lyricism. She has been acclaimed for her authentic voice, her “vivid ear for harmony and colors” (New York Times) and her works of “transfigured beauty” (OperaNews). Join co-host Stephen Anthony Rawson and Tina Davidson as they discuss her music and new memoir Let Your Heart Be Broken: Life and Music from a Classical Composer.
In Memorium: Kaija Saariaho
June 05, 2023 18:24 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBKaija Saariaho was a force to be reckoned with in the new classical music world: an innovator in so many ways while maintaining the highest musical integrity. From her early work at IRCAM to her operas and the many works she wrote for ensembles large and small, Saariaho developed a distinctly individual voice that was instantly recognizable. We mourn her premature death as it is truly a loss to the musical community. May she rest well now and may we remember her through her art.
Contemporary Organ Music
May 22, 2023 22:27 - 52 minutes - 60 MBJoin host Austin Williams as we go through selected modern works for the Organ. The organ has large history in the context of western classical music and the tradition continues with living composers. The instrument offers a vast range of different colors and textures for a composer to explore. In this episode we have examples ranging from traditional, extended techniques, adjustments of intonation, and the use of electronic accompaniment for the instrument. This is a wide topic that we h...
William Ferris Chorale Part 2
May 15, 2023 20:15 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBJoin host Austin Williams with guest’s Chris Windle (Artistic Director of Williams Ferris Chorale) and composer Kile Smith as they break down Kile’s newly commissioned work by the ensemble. Kile has a lot to say about the fugal nature of his work and how he approaches this older technique to a modern context. Kile worked with a unique text that heavily juxtaposes the topics of life and death. He explains in the interview how this was a large inspiration for the use of fugue. A large chunk ...
Angelica Olstad
May 08, 2023 16:43 - 1 hour - 73.8 MBJoin Austin Williams and Angelica Olstad as they talk about her fourth debut album American. In this album Olstad explores what it means to be an American as a mixed race Chinese individual that grew up in rural Colorado in the 90’s and now lives in New York City. This album touches on topics ranging from racial discrimination, old music tastes that continue to influence her works, gun violence in America and so much more. Olstad slaps the listeners in the face with nostalgia by using ol...
Relevant Tones Live: Overlooked No More
May 01, 2023 17:51 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBThe New York Times’ Overlooked series was introduced on March 8, 2018 for International Women's Day, when they published fifteen obituaries of "overlooked" women, and has since become a hugely successful bi-weekly feature in the paper. As part Relevant Tones: Live, Access Contemporary Music has commissioned five composers to write musical portraits of the lives in the series, including surrealist painter and mystic Remedios Varo, singer-songwriter Judee Sill, journalist, teacher and politic...
William Ferris Chorale Part I
April 24, 2023 21:30 - 57 minutes - 66 MBAs the William Ferris Chorale enters their 50th Anniversary season, they celebrate the idea of movement. Movement, as an idea, exists throughout music in a myriad of ways: momentum, tempo, change, renewal, phrasing. This season, the celebrated chorus will celebrate this idea of patterns, of detail, of movement – the vision of contemporary vocal music and living composers in Chicago for the last 50 years. Join Austin Williams and Chris Windle, Artistic and Music Director of the William Ferr...
Record Store Day Celebration
April 17, 2023 21:30 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBWe celebrate the upcoming Record Store Day by visiting local record stores in Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago and New York to see what's in their contemporary classical and avant garde bins. A lot of great music as it turns out. Hosted by Seth Boustead, Matt Dotson, Stephen Anthony Rawson and Austin Williams.
Songs About Buildings and Moods
April 10, 2023 22:03 - 55 minutes - 63.4 MBAccess Contemporary Music has produced a new video series for PBS that explores the intersection of music and architecture. ACM has commissioned ten pieces inspired by culturally and historically relevant buildings and filmed a performance of the piece in the space that inspired it. They provide context for the performance through interviews that tell the history of the building and how it inspired the composer. Now airing on PBS stations around the country. We feature a sample of this gr...
Ben Roidl-Ward
April 03, 2023 21:30 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBBen Roidl-Ward is a bassoonist interested in expanding the repertoire and possibilities of his instrument through collaboration, improvisation, and the exploration of unusual instrumental pairings. Ben’s dedication to working with and advocating for composers of his generation has led him to commission and premiere numerous works featuring the bassoon with the goal of broadening the repertoire and expanding the possibilities of the instrument.
Viet Cuong
March 27, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 124 MBCalled “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “irresistible” (San Francisco Chronicle) music of Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been commissioned and performed on six continents. In his music Cuong enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. Host Matthew Dotson chats with him and features an eclectic mix of music.
New Music Detroit
March 20, 2023 20:15 - 58 minutes - 66.5 MBSince their founding in 2007 New Music Detroit has produced an annual marathon of new music called Strange Beautiful Music, commissioned new works, presented concerts in major institutions and off-the-beaten path venues alike and generally been an all-around force in adventurous music. Seth Boustead talks with pianist and Creative Director Justin Snyder, co-founder and saxophonist Erik Rönmark, soprano Jocelyn Zelansko and cellist Una O'Riordan.
Amanda Deboer Bartlett
March 13, 2023 21:30 - 57 minutes - 65.3 MBAmanda DeBoer Bartlett, DMA is a soprano, improviser, composer, and organizer specializing in contemporary classical music. She is the founder of Quince Ensemble, an all-women contemporary vocal group, and Hasco Duo, an experimental improvisation and songwriting project. She is also a member of and program curator for Ensemble Dal Niente, a Chicago-based chamber orchestra that commissions and performs the music of living composers. The Bones Still Glow is a series of emotional ballads and i...
A Thousand Splendid Suns at Seattle Opera
March 06, 2023 22:30 - 38 minutes - 44.6 MBSet against Afghanistan’s volatile history, A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the breathtaking story of Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Brought together under the brutal Taliban rule, the bond between Laila and Mariam leads to unthinkable sacrifices, and ultimately, one family’s survival. Based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel, this story has captured the hearts of millions including American composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos who adapted the novel for the opera...
Suzanne Farrin
February 27, 2023 16:50 - 59 minutes - 67.8 MBSuzanne Farrin is a composer and performer of the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument created by the engineer Maurice Martenot in the 1920s as a response to the simultaneous destruction and technological advances of WWI. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times called her first opera, dolce la morte, a work of “shattering honesty.” Her debut recording, Corpo di Terra, was described in Timeout Chicago, “like field recordings from inside the cerebral cortex.” Her works are frequent...
Raquel Gonzalez
February 20, 2023 18:04 - 59 minutes - 68.3 MBChicago musician & composer Raquel Gonzalez has spent the last five years as a studio and live musician for various bands throughout the Midwest, often involved in the composing and arranging process. Their composition series, Sonic Creations with a Lyra-8 highlights a synthesized violin sound and duets between the instrument and a Lyra-8 synthesizer. About the album & its process, Gonzalez says, “Sonic Creations for Violin and Lyra yielded experimentation with my electric violin and a Soma...
Loadbang
February 13, 2023 22:12 - 58 minutes - 67 MBHost Austin Williams chats with LoadBang ensemble members Andy Kozar and William Lang about their most recent Premieres concert. This is the 20th volume in this concert series where the ensemble continues to champion new works by composers at all stages of their career. The unique ensemble instrumentation allows for specific writing to showcase each members ability. Together the ensemble creates a wonderfully cohesive and ubiquitous experience throughout the concert. Featuring music by ...
Vivian Fung
February 06, 2023 23:05 - 56 minutes - 64.9 MBJUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung has a unique talent for combining idiosyncratic textures and styles into large-scale works, reflecting her multicultural background. Matthew Dotson talks with her about her upcoming opera and new string quartet projects with the Jasper Quartet.
Chamber Music America Showcases
January 30, 2023 20:42 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBThe country's largest chamber music conference was back this year after a three-year hiatus and Relevant Tones was there. One of the highlights of the conference was two days of incredible ensemble showcases at Drom in lower Manhattan. We feature audio recorded live at these showcases from Shouthouse, Interwoven, the Beo String Quartet and the Johnston Brothers plus a piece featuring Lucy Shelton, one of the conference honorees. Featuring music by Gabriela Ortiz, Thomas Osbourne, Liu Tianh...
Nina Shekhar
January 23, 2023 23:41 - 1 hour - 76.4 MBNina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works. Described as “tart and compelling” (New York Times), “vivid” (Washington Post), and “surprises and delights aplenty” (LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by numerous leading artists. Since 2021, Shekhar has been the Composer-in-Residence for Young Concert Artists. Host Stephen Anthony Rawson sits down to talk with Nina abou...
Tokyo to New York
January 09, 2023 19:13 - 57 minutes - 65.4 MBClarinetist Thomas Piercy's Tokyo to New York project presents masterpieces from 20th century Japanese avant-garde composers alongside newly commissioned works from New York City composers of today. The result is a fascinating collision of musical worlds. All of the music featured was performed live in a recent concert at the Martha Graham Dance Studio in New York City by musicians from Random Access Music.
Best Albums of 2022
December 20, 2022 03:52 - 55 minutes - 63 MBIt's that time again! Our favorite albums from 2022 include Pripyat by Marina Herlop, A Thousand Butterflies by Aftab Darvishi, Ghost Song by Cécile McLorin Salvant, Evergreen by Caroline Shaw and the Attaca Quartet and What is American by PUBLIquartet. The music has been chosen by Relevant Tones hosts Austin Williams, Matthew Dosland, Stephen Anthony Rawson and Seth Boustead.
Lakota Music Project Part 2
December 05, 2022 22:56 - 55 minutes - 62.9 MBWelcome to part two of our series with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and their work with the Lakota Music Project. Today’s episode will largely be about traditional Lakota vocal techniques and incorporating it in the context of the symphony orchestra. Jared Tate is a native Chickasaw composer and pianist who approached David Gier about doing a massive work for orchestra and voice which utilizes both traditional native, and western classical vocal techniques. Vocalist Robert Moore was ...
Lakota Music Project Part 1
November 28, 2022 22:35 - 56 minutes - 64.5 MBRelevant Tones has the honor and privilege to present this two part series on the music from South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and their Lakota Music Project. This project is a powerful collaboration between native Lakota music and the symphony orchestra. Joined on the interview is Music Director Delta David Gier and special soloist Bryan Akipa. Bryan Akipa is a specialist in the natural wood flute which is prominently featured in many of the tracks in this first part. Please enjoy the music...
Mandolin Music From Japan
November 21, 2022 22:05 - 55 minutes - 63.9 MBFor over a century, Japanese mandolin orchestras and clubs have been performing and commissioning music, broadening the instrument’s repertoire and genres with diverse artistic voices. Join host Stephen Anthony Rawson as we listen to a sample of music by Yasuo Kuwahara, Takashi Yoshimatsu, Yoshinao Kobayashi, and more!
Regina Harris Baiocchi
November 15, 2022 01:32 - 58 minutes - 67 MBRegina Harris Baiocchi is a prolific and highly accomplished composer, poet, author and educator. At home in seemingly any musical genre, her music has been performed by classical ensembles like the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies, on jazz festivals, sacred music festivals and everywhere in between.
Matt Mcbane's Bathymetry with Sandbox Percussion
November 07, 2022 22:29 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBSandbox percussion partners up with Composer/Performer Matt McBane on an 8-movement virtuosic underwater adventure. Drawing on classical minimalism, electronic production, ASMR Youtube videos, and the diverse landscape of ambient modular synth music, Bathymetry features McBane’s Moog synth with Sandbox Percussion on a mix of found instruments (mixing bowls, ping pong balls, glass bottles, etc.), orchestral percussion (vibraphone, tam tam, etc.), and drum sets. ‘Bathymetry’ is the study of t...
Día de los Muertos
October 31, 2022 15:02 - 51 minutes - 59.4 MBWe celebrate the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos with music written in homage to those who are no longer with us. Music by Miguel del Aguila, Sandunes and Kyla-Rose Smith, Elliot Carter, Michael Gordon and Gabriela Ortiz.
String Quartet Smackdown
October 24, 2022 21:49 - 57 minutes - 65.9 MBGolden Hornet's String Quartet Smackdown is a unique event in which a professional string quartet performs music by sixteen finalists letting the audience decide who will advance to the next round and who will ultimately be the Champion of Smackdown. Submissions are now open for String Quartet Smackdown VIII through December 1st! More info at www.goldenhornet.org. Music by Feona Lee Jones, Chidi Obijiaku, Renato Marsiglia, Kennedy Taylor Dixon, Pertti Jalava, Cecilia Muylaert, Melika M. F...
Andrew Trim and Retroreflector
October 17, 2022 21:19 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBAndrew Trim is a guitarist and composer. He can be found regularly working with some of the most talented and unique musicians in the midwest region and creating everything from mind-altering improvised flights to tightly contained, composed melodies. His instrumental projects - a quartet called Hanami and a trio called Dim Lighting - are the primary vehicles for his expressions. In Retroreflector Andrew Trim's soaring melodies and psychedelic jazz flurries guide a sonically charged quartet...
Marc Mellits
October 11, 2022 01:41 - 50 minutes - 57.8 MBMarc Mellits is a composer who creates short visceral works often comprised of contrasting sections. He is influenced by minimalist and rock music and often composes for amplified instruments. Mellits also directs and plays keyboards in his own ensemble, the Mellits Consort.
Present Music
October 03, 2022 18:15 - 59 minutes - 67.7 MBSince its founding in Milwaukee in 1982, the mission of Present Music has been to commission and perform new concert music with programming that introduces innovative concert formats, embraces a broad diversity of repertoire, and makes the music of our time accessible to audiences with deep expression and serious fun. Host Austin Williams talks with co-Artistic Director David Bloom about their upcoming 41st season. The featured music includes works by Ryan Carter, Jonah Elrod, Michael Tork...
Composer Alive Album Release
September 26, 2022 19:03 - 54 minutes - 62.7 MBAccess Contemporary Music's latest album features music commissioned as part of their innovative project Composer Alive. Each piece was composed in short installments and rehearsed and recorded in real time as they were received. Host Seth Boustead features a sample of this fascinating music. Sunshowers by Jane O'Leary (mvmts 1 and 2) De Ánimos y Quebrantos by Gabriela Ortiz Toy by Alexandre Lunsqui Dance With My Breath by Agnieszka Stulginska (mvmt 1) Commercial Etudes by Will Rowe (...
Qubit's Whitney Biennial Audio Guide
September 19, 2022 22:07 - 56 minutes - 65.1 MBQubit presents an audio(guide) companion to the 2022 Whitney Biennial, "Quiet as It's Kept." Curated by Alec Hall, Loud as It Plays is a listening landscape of contemporary American music arranged around the themes and forces shaping our world over the past two years: breath, time, hope, test, and war. For a biennial survey of American art should also include a survey of its current sounds. Host Austin Williams brings you a sample of this timely playlist. Featuring music by: Deidre Huckab...
Shawn E. Okpebholo
September 12, 2022 16:18 - 1 hour - 74.3 MBShawn E. Okpebholo is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning composer whose music has been described as “devastatingly beautiful” and “fresh and new and fearless” (The Washington Post), “affecting” (The New York Times), “searing” (The Chicago Tribune), “staggering” (The New Yorker), “lyrical, complex, singular” (The Guardian), and “powerful” (BBC Music Magazine). Host Stephen Rawson talks with him and features a wide range of his music.
Michael Oliva
August 31, 2022 00:13 - 1 hour - 80.8 MBJoin Host Austin Williams as he interviews world-class composer Michael Oliva about his upcoming project for various interments playing with Tampura and fixed media. Michael has been creating various collaborations with a variety of instruments for this project to create a diverse sound world for listeners to experience. In the interview you will hear about Michael’s use of the Tanpura and how he manipulates and adjusts it to make it truly unique for this project. Michael will have the ch...
Da Capo Chamber Ensemble 50th Season
August 22, 2022 18:54 - 59 minutes - 68.3 MBThe remarkable Da Capo Chamber Ensemble has been going strong for 50 years and they're celebrating this milestone with a series of concerts called Bridges. Host Austin Williams talks with flutist Patricia Spencer and composer Bruce Adolphe about their incredible run and the featured music in their 50th season.
Castor and Patience
August 09, 2022 01:49 - 44 minutes - 51 MBCastor and Patience is a new opera by composer Gregory Spears and libretto by former poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith. The opera takes on the pervasive barriers to land ownership for Black Americans by telling the story of two cousins' struggles to own and keep property long held by their family. Stephen Rawson attended the premiere and talked with Spears and Smith about the opera.
Charles Mingus Centennial
August 01, 2022 22:05 - 51 minutes - 58.4 MBJoin us as we celebrate and honor the centennial of Charles Mingus! This episode will take a deep dive into his album Mingus Plays the Piano. Charles Mingus was a pioneer of the modern jazz movement and this album speaks to that. Amongst his vast discography, this album takes a slight departure from his typical music styles. The listener will hear various influences of early 20th c. composers along with Mingus’ own amount of spice. In the episode we will feature the album along with excerp...
Cross Roads
July 18, 2022 22:39 - 41 minutes - 48 MBHost Austin Williams explores the cross roads of experimental music and Jazz. Many artists featured on today’s show come from the Twin Cities area which has a large free and experimental jazz scene. Much like one might see in an improvising chamber group or players working from a graphic score, the music you hear is incredibly collaborative and raw in nature. Some groups will directly reference new classical music while others will show it through their practice and aesthetic
Escape Tones
July 11, 2022 23:25 - 42 minutes - 48.5 MBTaking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Hey, isn't that from the "Cheers" theme song? Yes it is but after the last couple of weeks who can disagree? Join host Austin Williams for a much-needed musical escape... Music by Robert Honstein, Cassie Wieland, Wally Gunn.
Music by Tyondai Braxton
June 27, 2022 21:59 - 33 minutes - 38.6 MBThe former front man of experimental rock band Battles, Tyondai Braxton has since ventured out into composing a wide array of wildly inventive original music. He has been commissioned to write pieces for ensembles such as The Bang on a Can All Stars, Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, and Brooklyn Rider. Host Austin Williams plays a few of his favorites.
Spoken Word
June 20, 2022 23:43 - 40 minutes - 45.9 MBHost Austin Williams features a variety of pieces that incorporate spoken word in some way. Featuring music by Pamela Z, Tori & Ashley, Nina and Redacted Bell.
Ulysses Journey
June 14, 2022 23:35 - 55 minutes - 63.1 MBFebruary 2nd, 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s landmark novel Ulysses. To celebrate the importance of this milestone, the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland (CMC) teamed up with the Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) to present an international celebration across Ireland and Europe from February to June 2022. Seth Boustead talks to the CMC’s Linda O’Shea Farren from the CMC about this project and features music from the resulting concert and film series.
Classical Next 2022 Part II
June 06, 2022 22:21 - 54 minutes - 62.2 MBClassical:NEXT is the global networking and exchange hub dedicated exclusively to classical and art music, for all professionals – artists, managers, presenters, orchestras, labels, educators, press, media, publishers and more. Seth Boustead traveled to Hannover to cover this extraordinary festival for Relevant Tones. Part 2 features music from the showcases, club nights and project pitches.
Classical Next 2022 Part I
May 23, 2022 10:49 - 49 minutes - 56.2 MBClassical:NEXT is the global networking and exchange hub dedicated exclusively to classical and art music, for all professionals – artists, managers, presenters, orchestras, labels, educators, press, media, publishers and more. Back in person after two years, host Seth Boustead traveled to Hannover to cover this extraordinary festival for Relevant Tones. Featured music by Flex Ensemble, Kai Schumacher arranging and playing Steve Reich, Asambura Ensemble and Ayana Witter Johnson.
On The Radar
May 16, 2022 14:56 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBWe listen to a lot of music here at Relevant Tones. Here are a few new pieces currently on the radar for Matt Dotson and Austin Williams. Featured music includes Land by CARM, String Quartet No. 1 by Sophi Jani, For Ennio and Arctic horizon by Wøunds and I Know I'll Never Know by Masaya Ozaki.
Annika Socolofsky
May 09, 2022 19:38 - 59 minutes - 68.5 MBAnnika Socolofsky is a composer and avant folk vocalist who explores corners and colors of the voice frequently deemed to be "untrained" and not "classical." Described as “unbearably moving” (Gramophone) and “just the right balance between edgy precision and freewheeling exuberance” (The Guardian), her music erupts from the embodied power of the human voice and is communicated through mediums ranging from orchestral and operatic works to unaccompanied folk ballads and unapologetically joyou...